A number of wind braces are presently available for irrigation lines. These wind braces include brace members which are secured to the irrigation line. Preparatory to moving the irrigation line, the brace member must be somehow retracted manually so that as the irrigation line is repositioned, the brace member will not engage the ground. Once the line is repositioned, the brace member must be redeployed in a ground-engaging position so that the position of the line is maintained even in high winds which have been known to push such irrigation lines across a field, interfering with the orderly irrigation thereof.
It can be appreciated that the above wind brace requires additional time to retract and deploy, which could be eliminated with a more efficient system.
Another type of wind brace which is known in the art is one which is pivotally mounted to the irrigation line and includes a sail or wind vane. A high wind is caught by the sail or wind vane and causes the brace to pivot down into ground engaging contact, preventing the line from being blown across the field. Such a device would allow a certain amount of movement to occur before the wind increased to a sufficient force to cause the brace to engage the ground. Consequently, the irrigation pattern could be somewhat irregular. Further, such a brace does not support the line when not engaging the ground. Such support would be desirable during the operation of the line so that the brace supports the line and the weight of the water contained therein.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.